The political scandal consuming the UK’s government continues to develop, with police officers asked to investigate the facts of a trip made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings.
Cummings is accused of breaching lockdown rules by driving 260 miles across England in March to stay with his parents in Durham while his wife was sick with Covid-19 symptoms. He denies any wrongdoing. Johnson has defended his aide and refused to sack him.
Steve White, the commissioner overseeing Durham Police, said he had written to the police force’s chief constable on Monday, “asking her to establish the facts concerning any potential breach of the law or regulations in this matter at any juncture”.
“It is vital that the force can show it has the interests of the people of County Durham and Darlington at its heart, so that the model of policing by consent, independent of government but answerable to the law, is maintained,” White said.
He added that he believed the police force had responded “proportionately and appropriately” to the issues surrounding Cummings’ visit to Durham.
“It is clear however that there is a plethora of additional information circulating in the public domain which deserves appropriate examination,” he said.
